Troy Henkels and Geza Scholtz are preparing to attempt to kitesurf across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia. Excitement is building in Alaska as the Bering Strait team makes their way north after a week spent in Anchorage working out final logistics and gear modifications. After more than a year working on this expedition, all details and permits are finally in place. Currently, the team is in Nome making last minute modifications to the support Zodiak and by Saturday they will be poised in Wales, Alaska, the most western community in North America, waiting on good winds and weather to make an attempt. This crossing, though short in distance (100km), offers up some of the most challenging ocean and weather conditions on the planet. Chaotic currents, unpredictable storm systems, cold water temperatures (2-3C), poor visibility, and consistently nasty weather are a few of the dynamic conditions that await the team. beringstraitexpedition.com For a full length story on the Bering Crossing, keep your eyes peeled for the January issue of Kiteboarding .

Axon Kiteboarding is amped to announce that the brand website is live. The new ‘kiteboard only’ brand has been under wraps for the last 8 months while the product line was being developed and prepped for its introduction into the market. “We really wanted to get the products to a point to where the first time that you really heard about the boards, you were able to go get one at the shop,” says Ben Meyer, creator of Axon. “We didn’t really see the benefit of over-hyping the board line for months ahead of time trying to build a base with no product. We wanted to get the boards done and out there first, and let the look and performance of the brand do the talking.” Instead of trying to compete directly with the mass distributed brands out there, Axon sets out to focus exclusively on kiteboards. This allows the brand to spend 100% of R&D resources on making sure that the boards as technically perfect as possible. “The vision of Axon is really two-fold: to connect a kiteboard brand more closely to the everyday rider, and to raise the expectation of what a kiteboard should be,” says Meyer. “It’s amazing that some of the stuff out there just doesn’t take advantage of existing technology. We want to create a great product, but also want to create a brand that takes advantage of the amazing community that we have as kiteboarders. There is so much passion and soul in this sport, and we are aiming to capture that energy in the Axon brand.” Axon has started doing demos within the last month and will continue to do so throughout the summer. The boards should be available in the US within the next 2 weeks, but check the website for more info on the brand and the availability of the boards. axonkiteboarding.com

In episode 8, a cover of clouds pull into South Africa, but that doesn’t stop Youri from ripping hard at the Plet.

To celebrate

After Brazil and the island of St. Marteen, the beautiful clear water of the Grenadines and Union Island were the last stop of Jeremie Tronet and Linn Svendsen as they conquered the best kiteboarding spots in the world. With a lack of tradewinds this year, they also explored the Caribbean lifestyle around the Tobago Cays, Union island and Mayreau island.